


༌⋆celebration⋆༌

by sonshineandshowers



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Kinktober, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Older Man/Younger Man, Panic Attacks, The Fluffiest Squishiest Fluff, Whumptober, light sexual references, squishy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:02:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27065341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonshineandshowers/pseuds/sonshineandshowers
Summary: Gil and Malcolm elope, but they still can't manage to escape a celebration.Whumptober: Panic Attacks + Kinktober: In the Kitchen
Relationships: Gil Arroyo/Malcolm Bright
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	༌⋆celebration⋆༌

**Author's Note:**

> Whumptober + Kinktober = this experiment. I have a handful of different Kinktober prompt lists and the Whumptober prompt list, so I'm going to cross them over as much as I can. These came from [Kinktober](https://jbbuckybarnes.tumblr.com/post/627189398153363456/kinktober-2020) and [Whumptober](https://whumptober2020.tumblr.com/post/628055505485561856/whumptober-2020-updated).

Malcolm’s cheek squishes against Gil’s, held there by a light clutch at his jaw. “Smile, kid,” Gil instructs and waits ’til the last second before the camera flashes to kiss the edge of his mouth.

“Mother’s not — “

“Next picture,” Gil reminds him, cupping his cheek in a light caress as the flash pops again.

“She won’t — “

Gil snaps his fingers toward the lens and pulls the kid closer to him, their heads leaning against each other. This time, the flash leaves spots in his eyes, an electric glow dazzling everything he sees. “Freestyle!” he encourages Malcolm and sticks rabbit ears behind his head. Malcolm rests his head on Gil’s shoulder, the rabbit ears floating in the air by the time the flash goes off. “Alright, all done,” Gil kisses Malcolm’s temple.

“There’s no way she’s gonna take these.”

A strip of four photos prints out in the booth. Gil looks them over, smiling at the eclectic collection of softness. “Looks like an engagement photo to me. And this one here“—he points at the last one on the sheet—“that’s a wedding photo.”

Malcolm humphs.

“Pretty sure you’re drifting off after some great sex.” Gil tickles Malcolm’s side.

“Don’t tell her that.”

“Mr. Bright with the candlestick in the bedroom,” Gil teases, slipping the photostrip into his jacket pocket.

“She’s not going to take these.”

“She will.” Gil rubs his back. Neither of them wanted a big to-do, so Gil went for the most low-key, fun thing he could think of to oblige Jessica’s demand for photographic evidence — the photo booth at the mall. “‘Cause we’re not taking any others.”

“You have a point.” Malcolm smiles.

“Can I kiss my husband?” Gil runs his thumb near Malcolm’s chin.

“Yes, husband.” Malcolm lifts his head and they share a soft peck on the bench.

As they leave the booth, Gil wraps his arm around Malcolm’s back. “I think special occasion photos come with froyo.”

“I can’t eat it.”

“They have candy toppings — I think you’ll be in heaven.”

“We can get you some.”

“Grab and bag to take home, then.”

They wander the mall dressed to the nines, Gil with his froyo, Malcolm carrying a bag of goodies from the candy shop, enjoying a lighthearted afternoon. In their formal attire, they don’t fit the setting at all, but neither of them seem to care, both of them more wrapped up in each other’s company than anything else. When they run out of storefronts to walk by, Gil eventually steers them back to the car and drives them home.

* * *

“ _SURPRISE!_ “ A confetti cannon fires, and Malcolm's eyes bounce around the loft, eyeing the window he defenestrated from a couple years back. Pieces of plastic and paper float in the air in front of them, tumbling in slow motion, waiting for a reaction.

Watching the shock cycle through his husband's face, breathing hitching in fear, Gil rests a hand on his shoulder and speaks near his ear. "Upstairs." The quickest escape from the collection of people without going through them or back out the door they came in.

The kid takes off, feet thudding up each step. Gil's left looking over the small crowd of their team and family. Looking... looking... "Jessica." He steps toward where she stands near the breakfast bar, champagne in hand. Tilts his head toward the bedroom. "A word."

They walk through the gathering of friends and disappear into the closet. He doesn't have a lot of options, it's that or the bathroom, and he’s not sure which would bring more complaint. "Gil, there are guests," Jessica protests.

"With your son's health, you thought a _surprise_ party was a great option?" he seethes, hands on his hips.

"He likes surprises," Jessica argues. "I don't think he'd take kindly to his husband — "

"The noise scared the crap out of him."

"Then why are you down here?" She glares at him, ready to fight toe to toe. Looks to the door. “I’ll entertain your guests."

“I want the key back,” Gil growls with his hand outstretched.

She rolls her eyes and plops it into his hand, so he pockets it. He turns away from her, pinches his nose. Letting out a breath, he heads back into the bedroom and makes a beeline for the stairs. Something catches his elbow. “Ainsley went up,” Dani says. “Maybe give them a minute.”

Gil nods. No longer with a task at hand, he’s not quite sure what to do with himself. A banner hangs from the kitchen ceiling — _Congratulations!_ An engagement/wedding party, he guesses. Not like they’d put any time between those two things or even gotten rings. It had all just happened. Others had known for a few days, which was apparently plenty of time for Jessica to plan an event.

Everyone has a glass of champagne, varying levels of consumed. A few gifts linger on the counter. Rainbow confetti litters the floor, gleams of reds, blues, greens, and golds picking up the overhead light.

“That wasn’t planned, boss,” JT says, Tally standing beside him. “Someone got a little overexcited.”

If Gil had to guess, the someone currently getting chewed out by Jessica in the corner. Edrisa.

“Would one of you save her?” he requests. He knows she meant well. Knows they all mean well, but he hadn’t expected to come home to a loft full of people.

“Pretty sure she’s holding her own,” Dani comments. Edrisa isn’t backing down from Jessica’s wrath. If anything, she’s getting closer, her arms and hair shaking emphasizing whatever point she’s making.

“Help yourself to the top shelf,” he tells the three of them. “Gonna go find the kid.”

* * *

Following quiet voices down the hall, Gil finds the sibling pair on the floor in his bedroom, leaning shoulder to shoulder. There’s an extra sheen on Malcolm’s forehead, a squirming smirk as Ainsley runs her index finger across it and down his cheek.

“Mother will hate this,” Malcolm comments.

“Isn’t that the point?” Ainsley jokes.

“Why did you let her do this?”

“Bro, you got engaged _and_ married without her. You told her ‘no’ to grandkids years ago. This is a small, intimate gathering, and you know it.”

“I wanted to come home and sleep,” Malcolm pouts.

“Aren’t you a little happy that everyone came out for you? The whole team.”

“That part’s nice.”

“It’s nicer if you go see them.” 

Gil had anticipated finding his husband swallowed up under the kudzu’s cover, invaded and chained to a spot, unable to breathe. But Malcolm’s okay, lazily talking with his sister, more resilient than Gil had given him credit for in that moment. Perhaps Jessica was a _little_ bit right. He’s still not happy she commandeered their loft. Again.

“Someone came to get you,” Ainsley says, catching Gil’s attention.

Malcolm looks up, and Gil’s discovered in his spot leaning against the doorway.

“He’s all yours,” Ainsley mentions, standing and leaving the room.

Gil takes her seat and snuggles with his husband. “What did you two get into?” he teases, tracing his finger through a glob of glitter and smudging it to his other cheek.

Malcolm nuzzles his neck. “Ains said I needed more sparkle. That I should be _glowing_. Body glitter or something.”

Gil chuckles. “I think you’ve got plenty.” He rubs his shoulder. “You’re tired?”

“We have guests.”

“Say the word — “

Malcom shakes his head. “It’s kinda nice.”

“You could rest a bit.”

“I’ll wash up and come down.” Malcolm kisses Gil’s cheek. “I’m fine. Go have some fun.”

Gil peppers his hair with kisses, holds him close an extra minute before he returns downstairs.

* * *

“You have a little…” Tally gestures at her own face.

Gil rubs his chin and comes back with glitter on his fingers.

“Better.”

Gil considers ducking away to the bathroom, but if body glitter is anything like the lipgloss Jackie used to wear sometimes, it’s not coming off easily. He’ll deal with it later.

When Malcolm comes down the stairs, he seems to have found the same to be true, as there’s still a shine across his forehead and cheekbones. Gil doesn’t mention it, just pulls his husband to him. “Thanks, everyone, for coming.” Everyone looks at them like there’s a speech coming, but there isn’t. “Cheers,” he says and takes a sip of his whiskey, which gets everyone to go back to their side conversations.

“Thanks, mom,” Malcolm says. “Can I have the pictures?” he asks Gil.

Gil takes the strip out of his jacket pocket and hands it to his husband, who promptly gives it to Jessica. “Our engagement and wedding photos,” Malcolm footnotes.

Her lips pinch as she reviews them. “Thank goodness. You two are covered in makeup now.”

Tally takes more pictures of them anyway.

JT keeps Malcolm’s glass filled, jokes with him that he’s a lightweight. He’s not. Nuh-uh. Gil gives him a glass of water.

Ainsley sits with Dani, scheming, he’s sure. He’s enough whiskeys in not to care anymore.

Edrisa apologizes profusely for the confetti. They find more of it under the stairs weeks later. Malcolm throws it in the air. “A celebration!” Gil kisses his grin.

One day they come home to a photo of the two of them, a glittery mess, standing proudly on the sideboard, the strip from the photo booth beside it in the frame. A custom frame Jessica commissioned, engraved with fine lettering on the bottom — _family_.

It’s too perfect to gripe about how many sets of keys she has.

Boosting Malcolm up to sit on the kitchen counter, Gil can see their joyful faces as he kisses his husband, tugs his hair with his fingers. Not smiling, per se, not looking at the camera, but connected to each other, their love transcending the photo to the room.

Later, leaning against each other, sated, Gil holding him up, Malcolm has the same sheen as in the photo, the same dreamy look on his face. His husband. His family.

Eloping was the best decision they ever made.

* * *

_fin_

**Author's Note:**

> a celebration of and for friends, who offered the following words that were included in this story: kudzu, squish, nuzzle, snuggle, glitter, confetti, electricity, defenestration <3 y'all :) thanks for being so awesome


End file.
